Sometime early last year while on facebook I saw a picture of a film I'd never heard of. The movie was called Wet Wilderness. While the plot of the film seemed right up my alley what really piqued my interest was the label. "The Uneasy Archive" promised to release limited amounts of niche sleaze once a month, their second offering was a film called "Femmes DeSade" a roughie that's been on my radar for quite some time. I had to get my hands on a copy. Each film has a limited run of 24, 23 normal tapes and one super rare "rape pink" edition. Out of the 24 tapes a number are spoken for through their subscription program. With such a small number available to a rabid number of fans, obtaining a copy is easier said than done.

I'd been familiar with stores like Mondo and their formula. They give a release date, a time frame, and a number available, then it's all up to luck and how quick you are with a mouse. I'd never participated in anything like it before and it sounded about as fun as it was nerve racking. The date for Femmes was set and one Saturday evening I spent about 30 minutes in front of my computer monitor anxiously clicking reload. My girlfriend sat beside me waiting for me to make my purchase so we could go out. I guess these are issues some women have to deal with when their significant other is a film nerd. I got lucky that night, and I've since got lucky four other times.

They've released a total of 12 films, every month there are more fans which makes things a bit more hectic. With sales of the original releases heading into the triple digits it's pretty obvious there is a definite boom in the secondary VHS market. Maybe it's simply thanks to nostalgia, many of us remember the excitement of going to the video store when we were children, seeing all of the tapes our parents wouldn't dare let us rent. Now as adults it's fun not just owning the DVD counterpart, but going back and buying those very tapes we were never aloud. Never-the-less things are in full swing, companies like Wizard and Thriller video make bank. Uneasy Archive feeds into this collectible urge a lot of us videovores have, owning a small sleazy piece of obscurity. With such a small run I'm confident that I'm one of the only people in my home state to own TUA's Femmes DeSade. Nerdy or not there's something comforting in that.

Since starting up there have already been a handful of "copy-cat" type groups. Some people sing their praises, other's cry foul. Honestly though, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Especially in regards to exploitation. I can't wait to see what 2013 holds in store.

There you have my modest collection. While not complete I'm very happy with the titles I do own.

The original Texas Chainsaw Massacre has tons of great collector friendly editions. From Flesh-like hardboxes to big chainsaw shaped packaging, blu-ray's to DVD's. The sequels on the other hand, that's an entirely different story.

I love the Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, it's as zany and colorful as the original was ominous and bleak. I was ecstatic when I leaned that Turbine Media was giving the under-appreciated sequel the similar treatment they gave the original Chainsaw flick.

With that said, I will say that the original's release was way more loaded, extra discs, booklet, there's just a lot more to it. But this edition is certainly nothing to guffaw at, it's the best treatment this film has ever (and possibly will ever) be given.

This release is limited to 5000 and there are two options, the normal stand alone release and the deluxe version. The deluxe version comes with two extras, a t-shirt with the sequel's logo and a lenticular picture featuring alternative poster art.

The film is presented (much like the original) on 2 discs, a blu-ray and a dvd. Both having similar audio options: You get your English/German 5.1, 2.1, and three different audio commentaries. Rounding out the disc is the original Cannon trailer. All the discs in the set of various subtitle options, thankfully none of which are hardcoded. This is a very English friendly release. I will note that Turbine's release is slightly inferior to MGM's US blu-ray release as far as the PQ goes. Just something to keep in mind.

The third disc is full of special features. Much like Turbine's Chainsaw '74 disc, if you've managed to pick up the newer US releases you've likely seen most of these. "It Runs In The Family" is focal point of this disc, it's a very well done feature length documentary about the film. It's informative and a very easy watch. You'll learn some of the scrapped subplots about the film, along with the trials and tribulations of getting the film made.

Also included are a five deleted scenes along with a short gallery of images from the film.All in all, Turbine's release of '74 is the clear winner, you really get more bang for your buck with that set. This however is a wonderful edition for those who love the sequel. Reviewing these releases over the last few days reminded me how much I absolutely love these two films. The original is perfect, a movie that could never be recreated. The sequel, while scoffed at for being so different, it a fun ride with a great OST and some very memorable lines and characters.

I hope you guys enjoyed tonight's review, if you'd like to purchase this set click here.

Last year saw a lot of excellent releases on the home video front. Here in the US we obtained some of our most wanted films in high definition along with a slew of limited editions. Things were no different overseas causing many of us die hard collectors to import. One of my very first "big" blu-ray purchases last year was the German import of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Recently the same company gave this awesome treatment to the sequel which I received last week. Having both sets side by side I decided that it's time we take a look at what Germany is offering us Chainsaw fanatics.

Let's first discuss the contents and the packaging. The edition comes housed in a nice cardboard slipcase, there's a removable cardboard flap displaying the contents. Both the front and back images have the title so either one looks great displayed.

The inner digipack is amazing with the back having a nice panoramic view of Leatherface, the Hitchhiker, and Sally. On the opposite side where the discs are housed you've got various iconic images from the film.

The discs themselves each have an image to set them apart.

The last item included is a small book. This is not a 3 page pamphlet like some releases have, this is a fairly thick write up on the film. Being that this is a set exclusive to Germany, the booklet and some of the other contents of the set are not English friendly, thankfully however, that doesn't carry over to the discs themselves. I will note though, while most of the video content is English friendly, it is locked to B/R2, so keep that in mind if you're planning on purchasing.

Onto the discs.

The first two discs are your main features. The blu-ray was remastered from a 16 MM print. Both discs contain 5.1 English and German tracks, 2.0 Stereo/Mono tracks, along with two commentary tracks featuring the cast and crew.

Discs three and four are special features. If you've managed to pick up the US Dark Sky releases you've probably seen most of what is on disc three. "The Shocking Truth," "Flesh wounds," and "Off the Hook" are all solid featurettes taking you inside the making of the film. Disc four houses "A Family Portrait" a must see documentary shot during the 80's. While the documentary is a nice bonus, it's still widely available in the US. There are some new features here however. The first is a short series of clips comparing the remake to the original. While this is nothing spectacular I've all but avoided the remake since it's release back in 2003 so it was interesting to see the similarities and differences. Rounding out the disc is a censorship discussion featuring none other than Germany's own shock-director Jorg Buttgereit. This feature is definitely a highlight of the set, but it's also a let down if English is your native tongue as this one does not feature subtitles.

All in all this is an exellent release worthy of importing. A true must-have if you're a fan of the original. It's a pity the US has yet to get a real "collector friendly" release since the cool "meat pack" edition Pioneer gave us all those years back.

I saw the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre at a very young age. Too young honestly, young enough to buy into the hype that this was based on true events, and young enough to not want to walk home alone after viewing it.

It was one of those movies that left an impression, one that has grown throughout the years. It's a film that will never be duplicated, from the opening credits to the crazed chainsaw dance at the end. It truly is 90 minutes of insanity caught on film.

With that said since 1974 there have been three sequels, a remake, and prequel to the remake, and finally in 2013 almost 40 years after the original's release we get....Another sequel. Confused? So were the filmmakers.
Texas Chainsaw 3D takes place after poor Sally Hardesty made her escape from the Sawyer house. For those people who are not familiar with the original (believe it or not they're out there) we are shown a series of post converted 3D clips from the original film.

Thus begins my list of complaints. My BIGGEST issue with the film is that when the credits finally roll it feels like one big lost cause. Of all the things they could have done with the characters, they went down a very obvious path. Don't get me wrong, it's a studio picture...They did what needed to be done to get this one into theaters. But I can't help but think of all the angles that could have been played to make this one a very memorable extension of the original.

They rebuild the original home of Leatherface down to the smallest detail only to destroy it. We're introduced to a large group of extended family with nothing explained. The biggest plothole is one I'd rather not mention in this blog, simply because it's been discussed to the point of annoyance. I'd rather concentrate on Trey Songz. Why is he in this movie? Boy oh boy.

The story is about a young girl who travels to Texas to claim her inheritance, what she doesn't know however, is that the House included comes with a very fun roommate in the form of Leatherface. The plot isn't as wretched as I might have made it out to be earlier, it does have some strengths. It's about a small-town cover up, family values, and chainsaws. It's certainly not the weakest of the sequels but it's also not the strongest. Dan Yeager dons the flesh mask this time around and he does a decent job. The mask is the only issue I have, after all of these years they still can't get it right. However, Leatherface is back to being the simpleton he was in the original and lucky for him the victims this time around are just as intelligent.

A lot of people hate this movie, with good reason, some of the plot holes are so obvious it's borderline ridiculous, the 3D isn't that great, the characters are all stereotyped and predictable. However, I will end this review on a positive, I had FUN with this movie. I will see the inevitable sequel.

Here's hoping this sequel leads to more people seeking out the original.

My job really got the better of me late last year and everything kind of fell by the wayside. However in 2013 I plan on rectifying this starting with the new page layout along with a small announcement. Cannibal Reviews will soon be a domain! Along with that, there will (hopefully) be regular updates on the page.